I don’t know about y’all, but I try my best to set aside some time between Christmas and Ringin In the New Year to take a “Moment” to PAUSE…..REFLECT…&…PREPARE to FORGE AHEAD!

PAUSE…

Although I’m reminded daily that TIME never stands still, I carve out some of my time to STILL my SutterSelf. Runnin is my steady status throughout any given year…whether it’s from one activity or appointment to the next, or circles in my own abode tryin to accomplish household tasks. In order to prevent BURNOUT, it’s imperative for my psyche to create this stillness both physically and mentally. While I’ve managed to do this at the end of the past few years, my goal for 2017 is to Pause Quarterly.

REFLECT…

Once I’ve finally found the stillness, the ONLY movement I experience next is within my mind to REFLECT. This is NOT a time to dwell on the past experiences of 2016. It’s a time to realize and celebrate what I accomplished. All of my 2016 goals were not completed, but instead of viewing that fact as falling short, I reflect on the Progress I made working and moving closer toward those desired accomplishments. I actually gained another self-awareness nugget while reflecting on one particular 2016 goal that did not come to fruition; to achieve my Pro Card in Women’s Bodybuilding. What I realized during this time of reflection is that the disappointment I experienced at that point in time wasn’t really about not turning Pro. It was more about not being able to get past that goal in order to be able to set a NEW goal. I reminded myself that Goals WORTH setting often take more time to achieve and require multiple changes in strategy to accomplish. The progress gained moving toward the goal is what gleans the learnings upon which the new strategy is formulated, allowing me to become FORWARD FOCUSED.

FORGE AHEAD…

PAUSING & REFLECTING are the KEY Components that inspire me to put my next Game Plan together so that I can get FIRED UP to FORGE AHEAD in the NEW YEAR.

TIME doesn’t stand still and it won’t wait on us while we do, but spending “Still Time” to truly be thoughtful and prayerful regarding our Purpose, Goals, and developing a Strategy to support both is critical in becoming equipped to FORGE AHEAD.

If you haven’t already, get your PAUSE & REFLECT ON & this 2017…..BRING IT!!!

]]>0chisel247https://chiselchallenge.wordpress.comhttp://chiselchallenge.wordpress.com/?p=14132016-01-11T03:09:36Z2016-01-11T03:09:36Z]]>HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I originally posted “PURSUE the NEW” on January 6, 2016 (Hump Day #1) via my New MoJoTiVatioN® FaceBook Group and thought it was worth re-posting as the First Blog Post of Chisel Challenge 2016…(I extend an Open Invitation to those reading this to join the New MoJoTiVatioN® Group to share your MoJoMantrA and in turn inspire others!!!)

So, here Tis once again…..

No secret….it’s the beginning of yet another NEW YEAR‼️☺️ 2016 WHOO ‼️‼️

And…I fully realize we’re already on Day 6, but I thought this post might help to get over the first “Hump Day”

PURSUE the NEW‼️
In keeping with this seasonal topic of “NEW”, have you ever gone outside your comfort zone to explore a new place, or try something new as a means of expressing, or perhaps revealing a new side of you?

Well, in 2010, I did PURSUE the NEW!!! I decided to do something that I had never experienced, but that had peaked my interest for years -Competitive Bodybuilding!

BEGINNING A NEW
I can still remember how it all began……first with an email contacting the coaches that a friend of mine had recommended, followed up with a face to face meeting, then attending the South Carolina NPC State Championships as a spectator (per the coaches suggestion) to get a better understanding of the sport and determine the category in which I wanted to compete, signing on to the coaches’ “Dream Team” and ultimately competing in two Bodybuilding events later that year.

EMBRACING the PROCESS
Of course there was a whole lot more NEW involved between signing onto the team and hitting the competition stage!!! A New way of Eating, a New way of approaching Training, the Newness of Posing, meeting New Teammates, getting to know my New Coaches. It was ALL SO NEW!!! And as I simply followed the lead of my Coaches, embracing their guidance, knowledge, encouragement – the entire NEW Process – it evolved into this amazingly FUN personal transformation!!!

RESULTS of NEW
Choosing to Explore this NEW Bodybuilding Lifestyle revealed a whole lot more than mere Muscle Mass! I discovered a New Drive, a New sense of Determination and Dedication, all of which exposed a New inner strength and the desire to share that strength to help others become stronger.

GAINZ of NEW
And the New GAINZ!!! As a Competitive Bodybuilding Novice in 2010 New “GAINZ” may not have been in the form of the aforementioned revealed Muscle Mass – LOL! The New GAINZ went deeper building New Bonds of Friendship resulting in a more SOULFUL kinda “SWOLE”!!!

THRILLS of NEW
My 2010 decision to “PURSUE the NEW” was truly THRILLING!!! It was also Refreshing, Invigorating, Motivating, Inspiring, not to mention Igniting as it sparked New Creative Ideas that within a year’s time (& a whole lot of Divine Intervention) developed into the concept of MoJoTiVatioN®!!!

NEW YOU to PURSUE
What’s the NEW that you plan to PURSUE???

Many will focus their New Efforts of 2016 on “What NOT to DO”, or to “STOP DOING”. Isn’t that kind of thinking literally “BACKWARD”???

Forget the past! You can’t change it! Instead…..be “FORWARD FOCUSED”!!! Choose to “PURSUE the NEW”…..”EMBRACE the PROCESS” and “EXPERIENCE the NEW THRILLS” along the way!!!
No doubt at the end of this year you will have Gained a NEW Stronger You!!!

Stay Strong & Share Your Strength!
SutterGirl

]]>0chisel247https://chiselchallenge.wordpress.comhttp://chiselchallenge.wordpress.com/?p=13992015-07-17T22:36:41Z2015-07-17T22:36:40Z]]>Why The Long Post Pause?

Well…..stating the obvious, I took a breather from Posting on my Chisel Challenge Blog. Why? Mainly time constraints associated with the other aspects of my little, yet active world. Y’all may be able to relate….ever feel like you’ve run out of time to do ALL the things you’d like to do??

Reflection Time

As of this week, after listening to some other bloggers tell their stories, I’ve come to the realization that blogging shouldn’t necessarily be focused on quantity. In other words, there shouldn’t be any sense of pressure to continuously pump out posts. Instead, there should be a desire to provide posts that are more focused on the quality of the content being shared. So, maybe posting is less frequent, say twice a month instead of daily, but the information shared provides the readers with more valuable information on a more consistent basis.

I also began to reflect on why I started the Chisel Challenge Blog in the first place.

I had decided to begin a new endeavor, competitive bodybuilding. My thought was that others might be interested in joining in my journey; following along as I made the physical transformation and experienced my first ever “Contest Prep”. That in turn led to my sharing the clean recipes I was generating. I can remember receiving my first Foods List from my Coaches and instantly feeling like a contestant on The Food Network’s Show “Chopped”! My Coaches provided me with my New Basket of Ingredients (along with portions & timing) and my creative juices started flowing! Then there were shared experiences pertaining to other aspects of Contest Prep, beyond the kitchen, that I hadn’t completely thought through….for instance, the How & Who was gonna TAN my naked Sutter Self??, not to mention some necessary “Body-Scaping” or “Self-Grooming” required prior to tanning…. In a word….”OUCH!!” To my elation and surprise, people (you) began reading, and following, and interacting, and expressing that the information was inspiring and helping!! I was SO EXCITED I couldn’t hardly contain myself!! It was unbelievable in the most Positive sense!!

Another “Light Bulb” moment during my time of reflecting on why write Chisel Challenge was the realization that writing and sharing this blog helps to keep me inspired and triggers my creativity. Ultimately, my goal is to share insights that benefit those who choose to spend their valuable time absorbing the content, but if that serves as source of fuel to create that content then in the end we both win!

A Forward Favor

My desire is to use this new found inspiration and desire to continue writing this Chisel Challenge blog.

Moving forward, however, I would like to try a New Approach and ask YOU, the readers, for a favor.

I could simply just pick up from where I left off and continue to randomly choose what I write, but I’d really like to hear more from you regarding the type of insights and topics that YOU want to read. What fires YOU up? What do you want to hear more about? What do you consider helpful?

Should I continue to provide Clean Recipes, Tips on Getting Yourself Motivated & How to Stay Motivated?

Do you want more on specific Fitness Training or perhaps what Type(s) of Training provides the Best Results?

Give me some answers to the questions posed above and I’ll do my best to Return the Favor by giving you the info you desire!!

Ready, Set…..CHISEL!!!!!

]]>2chisel247https://chiselchallenge.wordpress.comhttp://chiselchallenge.wordpress.com/?p=13922014-03-21T00:49:01Z2014-03-21T00:49:01Z]]>Embrace the Process!

Have you ever heard the expression “Get out of Your Own Way”? Too often people approach goals with a crippling mindset from the get-go and as a result increase the difficulty of the challenge they set for themselves. A mountain climber wouldn’t train to climb a mountain and then on the day of the climb add 500LBs to their backpack. Not only is placing negative thoughts within the mind the equivalent of “adding 500lbs to the backpack”, instantaneously increasing the severity of the challenge, this kind of negativity sabotages success.

Obviously, a challenge to accomplish something for the first time, or change behaviors will push the individual out of their Comfort Zone, hence the term “Challenge”. So, yes, there should be an established level of difficulty, which in actuality begins as the “Motivator” to pursue the goal. Moving forward the individual should take the first step in their Plan of achieving the desired outcome and in order to “get out of their own way”, adopt the mentality to “Embrace the Process”.

Ease Into It & Make It Fun!

The moment the mind is set to “Embrace the Process” the level of difficulty becomes less severe. Accepting rather than fighting the necessary steps to achieve success will make the “Challenge” more enjoyable, thus in a sense simplify the task at hand. Attacking the Challenge with the attitude that this will be Fun and result in a Positive Change is a sure fire way to reach success, not just one time, but Every Time a goal is set!

]]>0chisel247https://chiselchallenge.wordpress.comhttp://chiselchallenge.wordpress.com/?p=13782014-01-18T23:55:49Z2014-01-18T23:55:49Z]]>Staying the Course

Most Personal Challenges are not achieved in one day. We may accomplish a “Mini Victory” within one day, but attaining the ultimate goal requires a compilation of “Mini Victories” over the course of several days, leading into months, and in some cases years.

In this vein of thinking, and in reference to the two prior Motivation Study Posts, this is why the upfront preparation for mapping out your Plan to achieve Success is so critical. As this Personal Quest progresses, unexpected hurdles and internal conflicts (lack of confidence, pushing through physical pain, etc.) can conjure up doubts and questions within our minds, which in turn make us wonder “How do I Stay the Course?”. When this sort of occurrence takes place ( it’s not a matter of “If” …we’re human it’s gonna happen…) you and I have to dig deep within ourselves, tap into our own internal strength, remind ourselves WHY we started this journey, find ways to further break down the process into smaller segments, celebrate the “Mini Victories to keep ourselves amped up, and envision how AMAZING gaining Success will feel. The Mapped out Success Plan is a great visual aid to use when going through the mental exercise described above.

Relying on our own internal strength in this manner can be the empowerment that pushes us past the struggle and gets us back on track, but surrounding ourselves with positive people who know and support us in our quest can be another great source of strength to Stay the Course.

No Alternative

Success and Nothing Less. That MUST be the Mindset when setting any goal. There is NO looking back, NO excuse, NO alternative. This commitment level to SELF has to exist in order to keep our “Eyes on the Prize” and moving toward claiming that Prize.

The next post within this Motivation series will discuss how to make Extreme Personal Challenges easier to achieve.

“Out with the Old, In with the New…”, “Forget the Past and Focus on the Future…” So, whats that look like for you as 2014 ticks away? Are you going to start a new behavior? Maybe you plan to cease a behavior? And perhaps those are one in the same. Another option is setting goals or personal challenges to accomplish. Regardless, there’s an unwritten rule out there that urges us all to reflect upon a year gone by and configure a plan for the year that has commenced. (And for some this may happen twice a year….January and your birthday.)

New Approach

Formulate a plan to use the time 2014 provides to create Positive Impact. A plan that empowers you (& me) to Bring a Better Self to this World, Improves the Lives of those with whom you (& I) cross paths, both new faces and the familiar, and Enhances the environment shared. No matter what your beliefs, WE have all been born into this Wonderful World in this specific segment of Time and therefore Share the Adventure this thing called LIFE has to offer! Let’s make the MOST of this opportunity, exude FUN & SHARE our Strength to Empower People to reach their Goals so that WE can ultimately CELEBRATE ALL the SUCCESS!!

]]>2chisel247https://chiselchallenge.wordpress.comhttp://chiselchallenge.wordpress.com/?p=13492013-08-06T01:26:37Z2013-08-06T01:26:37Z]]>Half Way Through 2013…So Far, SO GOOD!!!

2013 has stayed true to the SUPER BUSY VIBE of years prior, but that’s how I ROLL!!!

(As I’m sure y’all can relate.)

I’ve been MULTI-TASKIN’ to the max….workin’, trainin’, sellin’ (MoJoTiVatioN – Positive Power Hard Core Bling at various athletic events) and competin’ (two Bodybuilding competitions NPC RX MUSCLE and NPC South Carolina State Championships) which have consumed all my time and energy this year. And to say that 2013 has been FANTASTIC thus far would be a HUGE understatement!!

After winning the Lightweight Class at the 2012 NPC South Carolina State Championships and coming just shy (on paper) of taking the Overall Win, I set my sights on going back in 2013 with the goal of claiming the SC State Champion title.

Part of that plan included a warm up competition, the NPC RX MUSCLE CLASSIC, a NEW event added to the mix of South Carolina Bodybuilding competitions.

2013 RX MUSCLE CLASSIC

In keeping with the thought process of my blog posts exploring “Motivation“, I put together a Plan of Action to pursue successful outcomes. Fortunately, the execution of that Plan and ALL of the HARD WORK paid off! I won the Lightweight Class at the RX MUSCLE CLASSIC and three weeks later realized my two year goal, scoring the 2013 NPC SC STATE CHAMPION Title!!! June 2013 was an INCREDIBLE month for me and I’m still orbiting in the THRILL of it all!

If you happen to be a friend of mine (in the Real World or virtually through FaceBook and/or Twitter) then this is Old News and I sincerely Thank You for Celebrating my EXCITEMENT with me once again!! But the purpose of this blog post is to provide a Real World Illustration of how staying focused and motivated can lead anyone to an outcome of success, no matter what the goal.

Celebratin’ NPC SC STATE CHAMPION Victory

Catchin a “Case of the D’s” ….Drive, Discipline, Dedication and Determination….is crucial to self-motivation. Hang tight and I’ll share my thoughts on each “D” in the next post. (sooner than later this time ;0) )

Okay, so you’ve taken the first action step and mapped out the PLAN for achieving your goal….Right???!!! No??!! Well, the PLAN is the KEY FACTOR to obtaining success.

No one PLANS to FAIL. But when we Fail to Plan it essentially solidifies an outcome of failure. This concept sounds so OBVIOUS, yet so many of us still attempt to achieve a goal by just “Wingin'” it.

The Plan doesn’t have to be some immensely complex document. In fact, simplifying it can be very beneficial in avoiding the Purpose Paralysis mentioned in Part I of this study on Motivation. Regardless, we need a Plan that acts as a Road Map and provides step-by-step directions for us to navigate toward and ultimately reach Success.

We also need to build in a measure of Plan Flexibility. While certain aspects in reaching success will be black and white, other portions may require tweaking…especially if they aren’t providing outcomes that will accomplish the final goal.

Another thought to consider when we begin to formulate our Plan is to seek counsel from someone who has already attained the level of Success upon which we have set our sights. Experiencing this type of consultation will shorten our learning curve by increasing our awareness and as a result will allow us to avoid pitfalls and other obstacles.

Finally, we have to BELIEVE within the depths of our Soul that we CAN SUCCEED!!!

So, It’s Simple…

Set your sights on SUCCESS.

Seek good counsel to Formulate a PLAN.

Search your Soul for the Belief.

See yourself SUCCEEDING!

]]>0chisel247https://chiselchallenge.wordpress.comhttp://chiselchallenge.wordpress.com/?p=13312013-02-17T17:29:15Z2013-02-17T17:29:15Z]]>All About the Visual!

Promo Poster for the second event I have in my sites and on my calendar just published!!!Love to have the VISUAL because it makes the Target Come to Life!!

Typically when any of these word tenses are used it implies a “Newness” factor. If that is in fact the case, then that signifies “Change”. While most humans are all about NEW, there are many whom abhor CHANGE.

After all, something NEW is viewed as BETTER, COOLER and more EXCITING. Whereas CHANGE signifies something that was in the works, or happening for a long time must STOP. VERY UNCOOL to most.

But why??!! If whatever IT is Changes won’t it be considered NEW? And if IT is now NEW aren’t the chances of it being BETTER, COOLER & more EXCITING greater than if IT remained the same? I would propose that with some changes the first required change is the personal perspective on what is changing.

Okay, so back to The Start. In order to Start motion and / or action must come into play. And while a goal, completion and / or finish line may be the ultimate goal, that should NOT be the main focus at the Start. The first focus is beginning, moving toward the next step or milestone on the path then the next step and then the next and so forth and so on. Basically breaking down the Process of Change into smaller segments to simplify the task at hand to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

Usually when someone looks at the BIG GOAL all at once it conjures up a feeling that IT has to be achieved in one fell swoop. This perspective can cause Purpose Paralysis and spells FAILURE because the person feels doomed from the Start and therefore fails to Move.

A successful start on a Path to Newness begins with just that…mapping out a path to follow that breaks down the Process of Change into simplified segments and generates a sense of Easier (versus Harder). Don’t get me wrong, the Goal may require extreme effort to achieve, but when viewed in parts versus totality will avoid making IT seem insurmountable.

And if that doesn’t work, one can always rely on the saying that “It only takes 21 days to change a habit.”….Less than a month!! And there’s only 12 of those in 1 year!!! (See how to Break IT Down ;0) )

Step One – Take the First Step on the Path. Keep Moving toward Success and it will be that much closer to achieving!!!